AIUI the thorpe tube flowmeters used with shielding gases are the compensated type and as such calibrated for a specific flavour of gas at 50psi as long as they're mounted vertically*. It's common for the float in them to hit the top of the tube when you open the cylinder valve and either the reg is already open (laziness/avoiding having to have reset pressures and flows every day) or they're connected to a fixed 50psi output reg. I've never heard of anyone managing to shoot the float through the top of the flowmeter tube personally but it wouldn't surprise me if it's possible if you try hard enough
Cheaper than adding a flowmeter to the reg and more accurate as you're measuring the flow where it counts i.e. at the torch not by the cylinder before the gas solenoid etc...
That said, being more accurate with gas flow/small tweaks to flow rate ain't gonna fix the OPs problems. Practice and/or lessons is what's needed...
* i've lost count of the number of times i've seen 'em fitted at some jaunty angle to a twin gauge reg due to the position of the outlet relative to the gauges
Cheaper than adding a flowmeter to the reg and more accurate as you're measuring the flow where it counts i.e. at the torch not by the cylinder before the gas solenoid etc...
That said, being more accurate with gas flow/small tweaks to flow rate ain't gonna fix the OPs problems. Practice and/or lessons is what's needed...
* i've lost count of the number of times i've seen 'em fitted at some jaunty angle to a twin gauge reg due to the position of the outlet relative to the gauges